Virtual Assistants (VA's) – My Personal Journey as a V.A.

Week 46 – You can’t do it Alone

Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.Henry Ford

Picking up from last week, yes, I made a few changes. One of the big changes was to do with spontaneity. I am not one for doing things on the spur of the moment and I changed that. As a result a new client came my way. It was SO easy and if I hadn’t been spontaneous and accepted a last-minute invitation for dinner, I would not have met my new client and potential friend. We connected and that was that – bingo! How about you?

This week, I wanted to share with you that, in my opinion, it is not possible to be successful by yourself. We all need someone to bounce ideas off whether it is a friend or mentor or a network of people that we can go to for advice and support and even a good laugh!

If you are a new V.A. and are struggling, you would struggle a bit less if you had someone in your “camp”. No one has ever said that being an entrepeneur is easy! I have recently met another V.A. through Reese Ben Yaacov’s Facebook group “Virtual Tribe”. She is a fellow South African and lives approximately a 10 hour drive away from me. We made contact and now plan to Skype each other about once a month. We’ve had one Skype meeting so far and it was SO beneficial to BOTH of us! Last week I had a problem with trying to get my head around a big email campaign (not my comfort zone) so phoned my colleague and we sorted it out quickly. If you haven’t joined a support group such as “Virtual Tribe” or “Your Special Virtual Assistant” run by Suzanne Nee (a very experienced V.A.) then please give it some thought.

I also worked with a marketing mentor for five months this year and it was extremely beneficial. It was money well spent. So you could consider something like that. If you are a new V.A. you probably don’t have too much spare cash lying around, but it really helps to invest in yourself and your business. You will find that you will build up a good relationship with your mentor and it will carry on long after your coaching sessions have finished.

If you have fellow V.A.’s in your area then consider getting in touch and meeting them face to face. I met with a local V.A. once and we are meeting again today and joining forces with a 3rd V.A. So our little group is growing. We meet for coffee and share ideas and information freely. We also give one another encouragement.

George Washington said that it is better to be alone than in bad company. Choose your friends and support group wisely. You need to associate with people that will lift you up and not break you down.